Bequette on edge again

Author(s):

Jeff Howe

Patriots Notebook

FOXBORO — Defensive end Jake Bequette added to his offseason repertoire in the hopes of contributing more to the Patriots defense in his second season.

The 2012 third-round pick, who had 10 sacks as a senior at Arkansas, experienced a difficult rookie campaign. He was inactive for 15 games, including the final four of the regular season and both playoff affairs.

It won’t get any easier for him in training camp, as Chandler Jones, Rob Ninkovich, Justin Francis, Marcus Benard, Jermaine Cunningham and Michael Buchanan are among the notable players competing for roster spots along the defensive edge. The Pats carried six defensive ends into Week 1 of the regular season last year, so the likelihood exists that at least one of those players will be gone by the end of the month.

“The competition is great,” Bequette said. “It raises the level of each individual’s play, I believe. We have tons of great edge guys, great inside guys. We have a great group of guys to choose from.”

Bequette is a sturdy player with a never-quit motor, but he can get eaten up by bigger tackles. His most crucial summer analysis will come in the preseason, when the live reps really show what a player can do on the field.

Bequette incorporated two new elements to his offseason workouts. He trained with mixed martial arts coaches in Little Rock, Ark., and the Foxboro area, and also started doing yoga for at least 30 minutes every day. He said both workouts have increased his flexibility, leverage, balance, hand-to-hand combat and hip movement.

It’s all part of the process to progress in 2013.

“I think the mark of a good player is making big improvements from Year 1 to Year 2,” Bequette said, “and that’s the category I want to fall into.”

Put in a corner

Devin McCourty’s two-day trek back to cornerback came to an end yesterday when he returned to safety during the Patriots’ full-squad scrimmage.

The idea, almost certainly, was to keep McCourty fresh at corner in the extreme case the Pats become depleted during the season due to injuries. The early workouts will help train him to remain fluid with his body movements and vision, so he won’t take over cold turkey if such a situation arises.

McCourty’s return to safety was highlighted by an interception of a long pass by Ryan Mallett. The reps at cornerback in the previous two days weren’t as successful. There’s a reason for that. It’s difficult to go back and forth.

“I wish it was that easy, but it’s always challenging,” McCourty said. “That’s part of the reason that I’m playing multiple positions, to make sure that I can keep playing both and stay fresh on it. I wish I could say it’s as easy as riding a bike, but it’s not.”

It turned out to be an eventful day for McCourty, who also shed the red, noncontact jersey he wore for the first seven practices of camp. He was coy about the fashion change, though.

“I didn’t notice,” said McCourty, who had offseason shoulder surgery. “Whatever they put in my locker, I put on.”

McCourty noted the important step from here is maintaining his strength to keep the red jersey in the trainers’ closet. That will be put to the test almost immediately this week when the Patriots conduct a pair of joint practices with the Eagles.

On the outs

The Pats released two players who were longshots to make the roster, cutting ties with tackle Elvis Fisher and wide receiver Lavasier Tuinei. Neither practiced yesterday due to injuries.

Fisher was among the first group of undrafted rookies to sign. Tuinei signed Thursday, was hurt Friday and received his pink slip yesterday.